Gov. Kay Ivey addressed the state chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors and toured the AIDT Workforce Development Training Center in Birmingham on Wednesday, saying that the program is vital for high school students more interested in the trades than tuition at college.

“There are a lot of young folks that are good at working with their hands … they don’t give a rip about a four-year college education,” Ivey said Wednesday morning during a breakfast and networking event set up by the chapter.

Ivey said workforce development is a key component of her Strong Start, Strong Finish education initiative that follows students from pre-Kindergarten to high school.

“In order to continue economic development, we got to prepare our students today with jobs of tomorrow,” she said.

Ivey told the group that a strong construction economy is a sign of a healthy state.

“Our goal is that all businesses in Alabama don’t just survive – shoot, we want them to thrive, we want them to be profitable,” the governor said.

Alabama is among six states selected for a grant from the National Governors’ Association to participate in a policy academy focusing on work-based learning opportunities, Ivey said, which gives high school students experience in the workplace.